Process of generating water-gas.



H. STRAGHE.

PROCESS OF GENERATING WATER GAS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30, 1901.

898,803. Patented Sept. 15,1908.

LtTZ 555555 E q EIUVETLEDK,

} UNITED STATES PATENT .QFFICE.

HUGO STRAOHE, OF- VIENNA, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

' PROCESS OF GENERATING WATER-GAS.

No. 898,803. I

Specification or Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 15, 1908.

Application filed November 30, 1901. Serial No. 84,210.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGO STRACHE, chemist, a subject of the Emperor of Austria- Hungary, residing in Vienna, IX, Alser-- strasse 49, Austria-Hungary, have invented a new and useful Process of Generating Water-Gas and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descri tion of the invention, such as will enab e others skilled in the art to whieh it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and

fuel, an ncreased quantity of. water gas will a result.

A rea y stated, in that too great a so that the upper part 0 In most of the processes heretofore known there is the great objection that an undue amount of blast air was necessary and that vresulted in the objection that a very high temperature ensued. The result therefore was that the burning gases left the generator at a very high temperature-600 C.'100() 0., whereby, during the blast, a very great amount. of heat was lostan obviously unprofitable feature.

One of the main causes for the losses derived during the blast according to most of the rocesses heretofore used consists, as alblast of h velocity, is used the fuel layer becomes too*= hot 1f the-blast islong continued, or, if the blast is of high velocity, the combustible gases'do not have time to transmit their heat to the upper art of .the fuel layer and therefore carry the heat away with them unused. v i

' It being recognized that a certain temperature in the lower part of the generator makes" itself evident through a given condition in the carbonic acid produced, said condition can be used as a measure for the tem rature of the lower part of the generator. lhis exeither long duration or hi perience is utilized to arrange the warm blasting by continuous observation of the amount of carbonic acid contained in the waste gases- 'in such a way (by means of a specially built device) that a temperature most suitable for tllie making of gas is obtainedby the warm b ast.

. It has become known, thatif air is blasted into a generator, by the combustion, carbonie acidonlyis produced as long-as the temperature of the burning fuel is low evenv if the column of the burning fuel be large and the velocity of the blast low. It is also well known that. the

production of the carbonic acid commences 1 the temperature of the superior layers has been raised so far that a re- Hence it duction of carbonic acid ensues. follows'that the amount of carbonic acid in the waste gases (the generator gas) constantly decreases during the first stages of warm blast.

The object of the invention consists in that the warmblast is interrupted as soon as the formation of carbonic oxld becomes so plen-- tiful at the liigh temperature that the efiiciency of the warm blast hereby becomes d1-.

minished. This is the case the amount of: the carbonic acid of the waste ases decreases to about 12%, the amount 0 the carbonic.

oxid being equal at this stage of warm blast to approximately 15%. If theamount of the carbonic acid further decreases, the efli ciency of the warm blast becomes diminished. If a larger hourly output shall be obtained, the velocity of steam and therefore the temperature must be increased in such a way that by the blast a low amount only is present of the carbonic acid in the waste gases. Yet the amount of carbonic acid shallnever become smaller than 6%. At the same time a lower velocity of may be employed whence on the one hand the advantage of a low opposing ressure (re uired power) results, in spite of t e large ht of the-fuel column (2,5 m height and the blasting air a other hand a most complete delivery of heat to the upper la ers is ereby effected, with the result that t e waste gases escape having a temperature of 200 C. approximately.

The process itselfis put into practice in the following manner: The fuel is maintained to the height of about21} m in a generator of the ordinary form. usual from below, but the air pressure is less than that used up to the present time; the air pressure ought to be between 50 to 100 mm The blast is directed aswater-column, whereby a blast velocity ofol carried away by the gases durin ,to the bottom.

'rupted at "a higher purpose of warm to 0.5 m er second is-obtained. After starting theb ast the quantit of carbonic acid and carbonic oxid containe in the waste gases is ascertained by a specialapparatus which is inserted into the fuel, and as soon as the amount of carbonic acid, which is very high at the beginning, decreases to about 12%-, and the amount of carbonic'oxid, which is very small initially, rises to about 15%, the blast is stopped. The time for the blast is about 1 to 2 minutes, although it may be continued until the amount of carbonic acid falls to 6%, assuming that tlie amount of carbonic acid does not exceed 15%. Following the blast comes the gas-making period, and during this time the steam jet is directed in a well known manner from the upper part of the generator layer of fuel with a smaller velocity than that used up to the present time, to wit, about 0.05 to 0.15 m per second, whereby a nearly perfect decomposition ot'the steam is obtained and no undecomposed steam flows into the gas piping. The gas-making period should continue forabout 5 to 8 minutes.

By my process, the great loss of heat heretofore experienced duringthe blast is saved by maintaining a uniformly a portioned temperature in the 'lower as wel as in the upper part of the generator, whereby there is still produced a large amount of carbon monoxid (more than 15%), but not near so much as by the processes heretofore known. Moreover, by my processthe blast is interamount of carbonic acid, to 6%, while accordin to revious processes the b ast that is, about 12% most of the period is continued at a very high velocity and to the amount of 5%-2% carbonic acid; this increase of carbonic acid is, however, not the only advantage, for in my rocess a large amount of heat whichwould be otherwise the combustion in the lower part of the fu'ellayer is transmitted to the upper part thereof, and this is accomplished bykee ing the upper part of the generator as 000 as possible, i. 6., by using a blast of short duration and low velocity. The temperature condition of the fuel is light red.

To illustrate more s tor having an inner m is filled with coke up Air is then introduced blasting into the glowin ecifically: A generaiameter equal to 1.9 to a height of 2,5 m. from below for the coke, the quantity of air being 120 m and the speed preferably 0.5 m per second. The waste gases escape at a temperature of 200 C. and are continually examined by an ap- The steam is led through the paratus provided for that urpose with regard to the amount of car onlc acid which they contain. If the latter becomes as low as 12%, the amount of carbonic monoxid rising at the same .time to approximately 15%, the warm blast is interrupted so that steam may be admitted; but the blasting may be continueduntil the waste gases contain onl 6% of carbonic acid. Hence the warm b ast may continue for 1-2 minutes, according to the amount of carbonic acid corres onding to which the blasting has been carrie out. With an 100 mm, the power nee will be theoretically 3 and practically 5 H. P., while according to the older processes 20 H. P. would be needed for the'same out ut;

After the warm blasting, steam is driven from the top and caused to pass toward the lower part of the apparatus through the into water gas which escapes by a pipe provided in the lower part of the enerator. The admission of steam is effected or from 5 to 8 minutes, the actual duration dependingupon the time needed for admission of air. The steam is admitted through a pipe of 28 mm inner diameter, the amounting in the pipe to 240 mmmercurycolumn and the steam velocity in the generator being as high as 0.05-0.15 m per second.

According. to the old processes the blasting has been effected during say 6-10 minutes and the gasing during 5 minutes only. Hence 20-25 minutes have been available for passing the steam through the a paratus. Of course with my process the b ast is effected during only 1-2 minutes and the gasing during 5-8 minutes, so that 40"to 50 minutes are available for passing the steam through the apparatus. Thus an increased hourly output of the generator is obtained.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent isz.

The process of producing water gas which consists. in first blastin air into the fuel until the average contents 0% the combustion gases amount to 12 to 6% of carbonic acid and at least to about 15% of carbon monoxid and while the temperature condition of the fuel is light red, and then blasting steam into the fuel, substantially as described. I

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of op osing pressure of ded steam pressure 

